Canberra Mothercraft Society has been supporting families of young children living in Canberra and the surrounding region since 1926. It is one of Canberra’s longest-running organisations and was the first to provide primary health services to families in the Australian Capital Territory.
Its achievements include establishing maternal and child health clinics, occasional care centres and home help services for mothers and babies in Canberra. Once established, many of these new services became organisations in their own right or were taken over by the ACT Government.
Its most ambitious undertaking was to establish and run the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre. QE II prospered under CMS stewardship for 56 years until 1 July 2019 when it was handed over to the ACT Government.
CMS is now building on its proud history to play a key role in setting the agenda for health and community development services for families with young children, and supporting new initiatives that strengthen the wellbeing of those families. CMS will achieve its aims through partnering with like-minded organisations.
CMS is an incorporated association and is registered as a charitable entity by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
Our Vision
Healthy families through Thriving Mothers, Thriving Babies.
Ija Mulanggari, Goodtha Mulanggari (Ngunnawal language).
Our Mission
To support and influence the delivery of comprehensive policies and services for the well-being of women and families in the pre-natal and early years.
Our Values
We value:
- the use of reliable evidence as the foundation for policy development and service delivery;
- primary health care focused on achieving physical, emotional and psychological well-being and strengthening family resilience;
- close links to the community;
- respect for individuals and cultural differences; and
- strong leadership as a good community organisation.